“Many of them are just contented making music here when the opportunity is available to have their music be heard at a global platform.

“Some preferred to not go international. Almost 95 per cent of artistes here are either just contented with the success they have achieved locally or they think that Malay songs cannot be accepted globally,” said the 38-year-old artiste in a recent news report .

Joe who has been named Best Southeast Asia Act at the MTV European Music Award (MTV EMA) recently said that it is his hopes that his win would inspire others to push the envelope further in charting their careers.

Joe whose last five singles were all in Malay except for one in English, said: “Music is universal, and language is definitely not a barrier. South Korean artistes have proven that their tunes could travel across the world. We should emulate them,” he said.

At the awards ceremony held in Spain, Joe beat other Southeast Asian acts like Afgan (Indonesia), IV of Spades (the Philippines) dan The Sam Willows (Singapore).